French Quarter visitor center among park sites targeted by Trump
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A French Quarter visitor center is among 34 National Parks Service properties the Trump administration has targeted for lease cancellations, according to the Washington Post.
Why it matters: The center at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park saw more than 4,400 visitors last year, setting a 5-year record for the facility, National Parks Service data shows.
The big picture: As the Trump administration carries out what it's characterizing as cost-cutting and streamlining measures, it has identified hundreds of properties for lease cancellations, with NPS sites among them.
- The French Quarter property is among several in the New Orleans metro, including three others used by the Bureau of Minerals Management.
More than 750 U.S. national park workers have also been fired amid a purge of federal employees, per an unofficial tally shared with Axios by a park ranger.
- At least one of them worked at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, another New Orleans-area property managed by the NPS. It's not clear if any employees at the French Quarter site have also been let go. Go deeper.
Zoom in: The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park sits on Decatur Street and offers live performances, music-related programming and a family-friendly public restroom for visitors as they tour the French Quarter.
What they're saying: "This is an attack on history. It is an attack on culture," U.S. Rep. Troy Carter said in a statement Friday, referencing the New Orleans facility and the broader list of 33 other sites.
- "It is an attack on the fundamental promise that our national parks and historic sites are for EVERYONE. I will not stand by while our shared legacy is dismantled."